Safety of these rail shipments has been a major issue for many states and cities, especially as the Bakken oil boom in North Dakota and the expansion of domestic oil and gas drilling in other parts of the country have sent more potentially explosive trains along rail lines that go through heavily populated and environmentally sensitive areas.

“Safety is our top priority, which is why I’ve worked aggressively to improve the safe transport of crude oil and other hazardous materials since my first week in office,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “While we have made unprecedented progress through voluntary agreements and emergency orders, today’s proposal represents our most significant progress yet in developing and enforcing new rules to ensure that all flammable liquids, including Bakken crude and ethanol, are transported safely.”

During a Monday National Press Club luncheon, Foxx said the issue “has to be dealt with comprehensively,” according to Bloomberg BNA, adding that new rail-car safety standards are “one piece of it, but speed is an issue.”

According to the Transportation Department:

The safety risk presented by transporting Bakken crude oil by rail is magnified both by an increasing volume of Bakken [crude oil] being shipped . . . throughout the U.S. and the large distances over which the product is shipped. In 2008, 9,500 rail-carloads of crude moved through our country compared to last year, when there were 415,000 rail-carloads. Moreover, on average Bakken crude oil shipments travel over 1,000 miles from point of origin to refineries on the coasts.

“New York is taking aggressive steps to protect our communities from potential risks created by trains moving massive amounts of crude oil through our state,” Cuomo said in a statement at the time. “While rail transportation of crude oil has risen dramatically, federal regulations and safety precautions have lagged behind.”

Local measures like the one in South Portland have been a growing concern for the energy sector. “The ordinance sends a chilling message to businesses of all kinds,” Jamie Py, president of the Maine Energy Marketers Association, said, according to the Globe. “It says that this city council will kowtow to a small group of activists and arbitrarily ban a legitimate business operation.”

Now the industry is facing the likely prospect of tougher federal rules.

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